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March 2016

In this edition of Fish Talk in the News, Maine asks Obama to rebuff the proposed EU ban on lobster exports; a Maine entrepreneur creates lobster-infused crackers; the Center for Coastal Studies hosts a seminar on river herring; and how our favorite fish could recover in a decade. … More Info »

Seagrass provides food and shelter for thousands of species. But these flora are dying in vast tracts across the globe. Congress has an opportunity to improve protections for all marine habitats when it reauthorizes the primary law that governs U.S. ocean fishing, the Magnuson-Stevens Act. … More Info »

In this edition of Fish Talk in the New, environmentalists and fishermen question new cod rules; Senators request funding for fishing safety programs; a proposed monitoring exemption is good for Cape Cod fishermen; Carl Safina asks, are community-supported fisheries a better way to buy fish?; lobsters are still on track for early arrival in Maine; and the Maine legislature is considering $3 million bond to study ocean acidification. … More Info »

NOAA’s Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office released Framework Adjustment 55 for public comment this week, which proposes a suite of changes to the Northeast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan, including establishing 2016-2018 annual catch limits for its 20 managed groundfish species. A species at the center of the discussion at the Council level and within Framework 55 is witch flounder. … More Info »

We have many reasons to appreciate the role of modern technology in today’s fisheries. Electronics, equipment upgrades, and other technological advances have led to more efficient, effective, and economical fisheries. In the case of modern, stronger fishing line, however, the risk of entanglement and death – specifically for the endangered North Atlantic right whale – is high. But with better information and enhanced coordination, we’re much more likely to be able to effectively identify solutions to these types of challenges. … More Info »

In this edition of Fish Talk in the News, ASMFC initiates a socioeconomic study on Atlantic menhaden commercial fisheries; MA lobstermen want an in-state processing industry; law changes for 2016 Maine elver season improve opportunity for harvesters; Maine elver fishermen are hopeful for a good season; saving Atlantic salmon will require Greenland’s help; next steps for Maine shrimp; eight are arrested in drug raids on six New Bedford fishing boats; and the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaboration pushes ‘new shells’. … More Info »

UPS driver Bill McWha had just moved to Wakefield, Rhode Island, in 2010 when he decided to check out his town’s main river. From the banks of the Saugatucket, McWha was horrified by what he saw: thousands of migrating river herring stuck at a dam, unable to swim over to reach their spawning sites. So he took matters into his own hands. … More Info »

In this edition of Fish Talk in the News, an interfaith meeting on Saturday lends support to designation marine national monuments in New England; North Carolina transfers portions of its 2016 summer flounder commercial quota to more northern states; NOAA announces adjustments to Atlantic herring 2016 annual catch limits; scientists find a potential spawning area for Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Western Atlantic; local politicians seek historic recognition for Boston Fish Pier; and researchers say Maine’s lobster season is on track for a very early start. … More Info »

With NOAA poised to review the New England Fishery Management Council’s Omnibus Habitat Amendment – and in the face of some fishermen who claim that marine protected areas within the cold waters off New England show no benefit, and others that claim the new sector quota system eliminates the need for closed areas all together – a timely paper was recently released by two New England-based marine scientists. … More Info »